It’s always such fun thinking up new What-Ifs for Jane Austen’s fabulous characters. For almost every plot point in Austen’s amazing novel Pride and Prejudice, there’s an option for a different direction; for every character, the possibility of a different choice.
We have role reversals, Elizabeth as an heiress, Darcy as a werewolf, bad Jane, good Mr Collins, and thousands of other diversions. We have modernizations and sequels, and some fabulous (if sadly less-devoured) variations and retellings of Austen’s other novels. Emma, Persuasion, Mansfield Park… there are so many wonderful stories that have been told, or are still waiting their turn.
Alongside JAFF, which we all love, fairytale-inspired romances are popular these days, with romance authors of all persuasions taking inspiration from these age-old yarns. And why not? In many ways, fairytales are the archetypes of narrative, the kernels from which great stories blossom. And many of our favourite tales have ancient incarnations around the world.
One of the oldest recorded versions of Cinderella, for example, dates back to 1st-century Greece with the tale of Rhodopis, a slave girl who marries the king of Egypt when an eagle drops her sandal in his lap.
There is, likewise, a Chinese version from the 9th century, where Ye Xian’s late mother reappears as a magic fish to help her prepare for a festival. She loses a golden shoe as she flees, and the king uses that shoe to search for her.
Beauty and the Beast is another archetypical tale, which recounts both the redeeming power of love and the value of looking past first appearances to find the good beneath it (sounds a bit like P&P, no?). One can see echoes of it in the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche, or the ancient Sanskrit Panchatantra which tells the tale of “The Woman who Married a Snake.”
I could go on. Others have, and lengthy treatises have been written about fairy tales, by the likes of Carl Jung, C.S. Lewis, and others. I’ll leave that to them, and I’ll talk about JAFF instead.
Because, as we can all well imagine, these fairytales also work beautifully as inspiration for more Austenesque variations.
And that is precisely what I, and five other amazing and favourite JAFF authors, have done. After publishing our fundraising Valentine’s collection for the Jane Austen’s House Museum last year (With Love, Mr Darcy), we realized we enjoyed working together so much that we wanted to do it again. We put our heads together and decided that a collection of fairytale- or folktale-inspired P&P stories would be a terrific project. We each chose a story and let the magic inspire us.
Some of the stories in this collection might surprise the reader a bit. Yes, we have a couple of the most popular stories reflected in Darcy Ever After. Cinderella is there, as is Sleeping Beauty. But some less-common tales are also reimagined here: Rapunzel, The Snow Queen, the Norwegian tale of The Ashlad, as well as a reimagining of King Lear, itself based on an ancient Celtic tale!
Some of the stories are magical, others quite firmly set in our world, and others… well, you decide!
Tell me more, you say! Well, Dear Reader, I shall. Here is some of what you’ll enjoy in this upcoming anthology.
“Awakening” by S. Neha (Inspired by Sleeping Beauty)
In order to put the upsetting events of Ramsgate firmly behind him, Fitzwilliam Darcy made the decision to visit the Hertfordshire estate that his friend Charles Bingley had leased. Darcy was hoping for some peace and quiet while helping his friend navigate the complexities of estate management. He never thought he would encounter a slip of a woman in the sleepy place who would stir his senses and make him feel things he had never felt before. The only issue was that the lovely woman herself seemed to be in a deep emotional slumber. Did he have the ability to thaw her frozen heart?
“The Snow Queen” by Laura Moretti (Inspired by The Snow Queen)
In a magical, Victorian England…
When Darcy meets Elizabeth in London years after his passionate declaration, Elizabeth’s soul is ice. The Snow Queen has her.
Can the fire of Darcy’s love save Elizabeth from eternal cold?
“The Midnight Diary” by Iris Lim (Inspired by Cinderella)
Hidden from Meryton society by her overbearing stepmother and stepsisters, Elizabeth Bennet finds comfort from her tedious life in the pages of her late mother’s magical diary. When the diary grants her one night to attend the Netherfield Masquerade, as befitting her true station, Elizabeth is determined to experience everything she can–especially when it comes to the library, and the unexpected occupant within.
“The Damsel in the Tower” by Riana Everly (Inspired by Rapunzel)
When a mysterious lady in a tower claims that she can never leave her castle, Darcy is as intrigued by her circumstances as by the woman herself. Intent to rescue Elizabeth, Darcy learns the truth behind an old local tragedy… but strong forces are determined to separate them forever.
“The Kingdom of Longbourn” by Elin Eriksen (Inspired by The Ashlad)
The King of Longbourn has announced that the prince who can persuade the fastidious Princess Jane to marry him will win his beautiful daughter and half of the kingdom.
Prince Fitzwilliam’s wicked stepmother has forced him to seek the exacting princess’s hand. To avoid the entrapment, he must ensure he is not at his best…
“The Salt of the Earth” by Michelle d’Arcy (Inspired by King Lear)
When a parlour discussion meant to change Mr Bennet’a sour disposition after Mr Darcy’s shocking application for Elizabeth’s hand turns to vinegar, will the magic of Pemberley’s library, the talents of her bewitching new Mistress and her own Prince Charming succeed to reestablish the harmony between Mr Bennet and his favourite daughter?
Enjoy this short excerpt from my story, “The Damsel in the Tower.”
The tinkle of the water, bubbling over stones and branches, filled Darcy’s ears, the sound almost carrying with it musical tones, like the notes of a harp, or, in the whistle of the breeze through the thick growth of forest, a woman’s voice. High, sweet, ethereal. The voice of a fairy.
Must have given my head quite a crack, Darcy mused, raising a damp hand to rub his temple again, and cradle the knot that was forming behind his ear. He took another sip and rinsed his face again, but the music did not go away. Indeed… the more carefully he listened, the more the noises resembled music. Wait… he knew that melody. His sister had been learning it on the pianoforte. Was he imagining things? Was this a dream? Or was he dying, this hallucination his final longing for Georgiana’s forgiveness?
No. That was nonsense. If he were truly drowning in delusions, his head would not throb so, nor would he feel somewhat better for the cold water. He stood tall again and peered into the dense web of trees. There. The sound was coming from that direction. With no reason to remain where he was, he made his way forth into the undergrowth.
He did not need to go far. After only a minute or two, the heavy veil of trees opened up onto a sight Darcy could scarcely believe. The stream here swelled into something akin to a lake, flowing around an island in the very centre of it. On this island stood the ruins of an ancient castle, something from folklore—or, more likely, the days of Edward I—ancient and crumbling stone, covered in centuries of moss and lichen. Small plants emerged from cracks between the stones, their roots breaking the rock into soil, and deep green ivy and bright pink valerian decorated once-proud turrets. One wall now sheltered a glorious show of red and yellow roses, their thorny vines shielding the gateway through which soldiers no longer passed.
There remained of the ancient fortification some thick walls, brought low by the passing years, here taller, there little more than pebbles on the earth, and the majestic gatehouse, its great door a black maw through which Darcy could see the keep, looking mostly intact. Smoke rose from a chimney.
Somebody was living here!
But the most remarkable thing of all was the one surviving tower, a lofty round edifice, jagged rocky teeth where the parapet once stood, and a large hole in one wall. But that hole had been mended—and recently, too—with new brick and a large casement window in place of the ancient stone. That window was now flung wide open, and pretty pale curtains danced inside them, drawn open to allow Darcy the view of a young woman sitting near that window, playing the harp and singing with the voice of an angel.
Darcy Every After will be published on February 1, 2025, and is now available at a special pre-order price of 2.99.
Leave a Reply